Off limits to media, mayor's bash draws crowd of lobbyists

Billboard hustler and trash maven among insiders at Faulconer downtown inaugural party

It may not have been the Oscars exactly, but some of San Diego's most well-heeled developers and best connected lobbyists and influence peddlers didn't seem to mind as they made their way past a blaring mariachi band into an ultimate insiders' inaugural party for new mayor Kevin Faulconer on March 3.

Earlier Monday, inauguration day, Faulconer had given his first speech as mayor at the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation in Lincoln Park.

The location of his event symbolically underscored his pledge to pay attention to underserved neighborhoods. Faulconer, whose campaign opponents claimed would be beholden to downtown power brokers, said his was the first mayoral inaugural in southeastern region of the city.

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Faulconer party

But downtown power brokers showed up in droves at Faulconer's exclusive evening inaugural festivities, held at the Port of San Diego's Pavilion on the Broadway Pier. TV trucks and the city's dwindling press corps were noticeable by their absence.

Attendees included lobbyist Ben Haddad of California Strategies, the big Sacramento influence-peddling outfit founded by Bob White, longtime aide to ex-San Diego mayor and former GOP governor Pete Wilson. Among the firm's San Diego clients have been Bridgepoint Education, Capitol Power Corporation, Ralphs Grocery, and Clear Channel Outdoor, which wants to loosen the city's strict billboard regulations.

David Malcolm, the onetime port commissioner who did time in a work-furlough program on a conflict-of-interest charge, was there with his wife. GOP congressional candidate Carl DeMaio, who once hoped to be mayor himself, also made an appearance.

Last week, a Faulconer backer solicited free food for the event from restaurant and bar owners in the Gaslamp Quarter, where the new mayor’s wife owns an event business coordinating street closings for conventions. According to the state's Fair Political Practices Commission, any donations to the party, including food and booze, should be reported within a month as so-called "behests" on Faulconer's behalf.

Comments

Yes, Ralphs is a subsidiary of Kroger. But it's likely that California Strategies lobbied for California-based Ralphs, but did not deal with its corporate owner, Kroger. Likewise, a company could do consulting for See's Candies, Dairy Queen or GEICO, but NOT for their corporate owner, Berkshire Hathaway.

Did Gloria Allred, Tom Story, and Allen Jones receive special honors? It's only a matter of months before their email trails can be (legally?, if you buy that an Council admin order can legally supersede FOIA) destroyed.